Recharter Update: 9 Days Left

Posted on December 6, 2017

As of today, we have only 9 days left to complete rechartering electronically. That means that any unit that has not started the rechartering process electronically, submitted an electronic roster, and sent in supporting paperwork by December 15, 2017 can have major problems.

What are “major problems”? Your rechartering application process may have to start all over again, but this time be on paper and all members submit new applications for membership.

This is a major change in time schedule for previous years.

At this time, we have 25 units whose paperwork has been approved by the District Executive and District Commissioner and has been submitted to the Council Registrar. We have seen little progress on these packages moving through the Registrar’s stack, because there 700 packages to be processed. This is the slowest part of the process.

Of the 15 remaining units, 12 units have submitted most of their paperwork. We are waiting on various problems to be resolved from these 13 units. These units are

• Packs 18, 72, 84, 174, 179, 180, and 747;
• Troops 35, 69, 179, and 180; and
• Crew 69.

If you believe that your unit is incorrectly on this list, please do not hesitate to contact District Executive Jessica Hofman, Assistant District Commissioner for Rechartering Mat Gerdenich, your Unit Commissioner, or District Executive Jeff Heck. We want to help you expedite matters.

What are the typical problems?

Some units are missing entire applications for new youth or new adults. Some units are missing necessary initials or signatures on adult applications (the biggest problem is the failure to sign the Criminal Background Check release on the page facing the Adult Applcation). If these applications are not required to recharter, you can choose to drop these applicants from the recharter roster, then add them after rechartering. NOTE: For youth pursuing advancement, this is not a good option.

Other units have adults who do not have the required training. The ideal solution is to complete training online. If that is not possible or preferred, there are several options:

1. we will accept a receipt for University of Scouting.
2. If the adults are not required to recharter, they can be moved to Unit Scouter Reserve. This classification does not require training other than YPT. To move back to the previous position, before the next recharter season, this person would have to fill out a new Adult Application to change their position.
3. Another option is to move Assistant Scoutmasters to Committee Members. Assistant Scoutmasters have to take the one in-person class that does not have an equivalent online class: Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills. (IOLS at University of Scouting is an all-day course, so you would not be able to take other classes that day.)
4. New Assistant Scoutmasters who have made Eagle Scout since the 2003 curriculum changes are automatically qualified as having achieved Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills. Your Unit Key 3 can enter the training in my.scouting.org’s Trainng Manager as complete as of the date of their Eagle Board of Review.

Some units are missing dues payments. Those are best handled one by one.

Help us close out rechartering as quickly as possible!

Final Push to Finish Recharter

Posted on November 29, 2017 Updated on November 29, 2017

As District Commissioner, my deadline set by council to hand in all unit’s Applications to Recharter is Thursday, December 30, 2017. This includes all clean up items that have not been wrapped up.

I have been told that Council is going to be announcing that all Applications to Renew Charter and supporting paperwork must be turned in by December 15, 2017. Failure to do so will results in the entire rechartering process begin again but this time all be on paper. All adults and youth will have to complete new paper applications to re-enroll for 2018.

The reason for this rumored change is that it brings the Crossroads of America Council into strict compliance with National Council’s requirements. National Council requires that local council’s submit their own Applications to Renew Charter by December 31, 2017 to Area 6. Area 6 has been frustrated with us for years because we were regularly late.

This is the first year that our Director of Field Service Nathan Young has managed the rechartering process from beginning to end. When he joined us in 2016, he had a steep learning curve on our processes. After observing this, he has implemented several changes that have resulted in a smoother and more prompt rechartering administration.

The new deadline is not new. It is just finally be acknowledged by our Council.

Done: The following units should have no issues based on my review of their paperwork:

• Packs 35, 64, 171, 174, 358 (Delaware Tribe), 358-2 (Miami Tribe), 358-5 (Kickapoo Tribe), 514, and 830;
• Troops 18, 56, 72, 269, 343, 358, 512, 514,  and 804; and
• Crews 56 and 408.

This is a total of 20 of our 39 units. Only 4 of these units have been finalized by the registrar. We are awaiting word on the rest. See previous posts for those units.

Missing Items: The following units have some missing items or miscommunications that need to be resolved before being finalized:

• Packs 18, 72, 84, 105, 175, 179, 180, 358-3 (Munsee Tribe), 358-4 (Shawnee Tribe), and 747;
• Troops 73, 174, and
• Crew 358.

This is a total of 13. Jessica and I will communicating these units on remaining issues. If training is the issue, please contact us, so that we can send trainers to your next meeting or schedule a district-wide event to handle those issues. All training except scoutmasters’ Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills are online at my.scouting.org.

Rechartering Begun but No Paperwork Received: The following units have begun the computer work for rechartering but have submitted no documentation:

• Troop 35, 69, and 180; and
• Crew 69.

This is a total of 4 units. Troops 69 and 180 and Crew 69 have made arrangements to drop off paperwork in the next 24 hours.

These units can help expedite the process by emailing Jeff Heck or Jessica Hofman their paperwork as it exists to date, even if signatures are missing. This allows us to get a head of the process by previewing potential problems. Then you can have some reassurance that it is done properly, when it is finally delivered.

If your unit is not listed, no computer rechartering has begun. Those leaders have been in direct contact with Jessica or me, but they have not started the computer work. These units need to get the computer work done this week. We can follow up on all further supporting paperwork between today and December 15th when all items must be complete.

Thank you to those who have born the brunt of rechartering and its bureaucracy. It is a thankless but necessary job.

Recharter Update

Posted on November 21, 2017

As of Tuesday noon, we have 25 units as JTE Gold, 2 JTE Silver, 2 JTE Bronze, and one did not qualify. That leaves 9 unreported.

Similarly for rechartering, we have the original 4 units that were ready to post, meaning that the registrar had approved their Applications to Renew Charter. Since that time, the registrar has been inundated with new packages and the approval count for our district has stalled completely.

That means that we have 9 units that have submitted paperwork and been approved by the District Executive and Commissioner, but have not yet been processed by the regisrar. These are Packs 35, 514, and 830; Troops 18, 56, 72, and 514; and Crews 56 and 408.

We have 16 units that have defects that have been communicated to the units. Most of these are missing minor items like dues payment or a missing signature. Of these most have scheduled times to get these completed so that we can close rechartering by the end of the month. If your unit has not scheduled a date of completion, please let us know.

We have 3 units have completed their online rosters but submitted no paperwork. Another 3 units have started the online rechartering but not submitted the final roster. Yet another 3 units that have not started the process.

Thank you to all of those unit leaders that have worked so hard to get us to this point. It is a thankless job.

Recharters now overdue

Posted on November 15, 2017

Applications to renew Charters and supporting paperwork were due last Thursday, November 9, 2017.

If your chair or Rechartering specialist have not received notice that you are done, you probably are not done.

Please remember that volunteers like you do most of the work on Rechartering. If they have to chase you down, it is less time that those volunteers are spending with family, scouts, fun, or work.

Please make sure the commissioner you are working with knows your plans. Ask them if we have notes entered in our tracking system about your plans.

We really need all paperwork in this Friday. We have a lot of work to do once you turn in paperwork.

Thank you for your cooperation in wrapping up this tedious and necessary process.

Recharter Update

Posted on November 8, 2017 Updated on November 8, 2017

With the last recharter turn-in only 36 hours away, as of this writing, it is time to look at how the district’s rechartering is proceeding.

NOTE: This year we have the added wrench in the gears that our district executives were switched mid-stream. That is requiring a bit of extra effort to make sure everyone is on the same page. In addition, I have a suspicion that there is a technical glitch in our backoffice reporting system. I have made inquiries to the administrator.

Please understand that any confusion or misinformation arising from these changes is not intentional. As I communicate with units, please understand that I am working on the best information available. I expect that we will have any problems ironed out by Friday. I will post updates on this page as they become available.

As of this writing, only five of our 39 units have not logged into the rechartering system. For those five units, that leaves you only 36 hours to do all of the online work before your paperwork’s final deadline arrives at tomorrow night’s final recharter turn-in.

Of the remaining 34 units, the commissioner, executive and registrar have approved two units to post, meaning they are done and approved at all levels: Troops 343 and 512.

The charter agreement, application to recharter, and JTE scorecard have been received from the units listed below. Whether there remain any problems is yet to be finalized. These units will be informed or received a punchlist at turn-in identifying if problems are identified. Packs 18, 64, 105, 514, and Troops 358, 514, 804.

The following units have finalized their rosters online but still have paperwork to turn in, according  to my records (please review the note above on updating information). Packs 72, 84, 171, 175, 179, 358, 358-2, 358-3, 358-4, 358-5, Troops 18, 69, and 269.

The following units have worked with the commissioner service and generated a mutually agreed punch list of outstanding tasks. We are awaiting those items being completed, hopefully tomorrow night. Packs 35, 174, 747, 830, Troops 56, 73, Crews 56, 358, and 408.

Finally Troop 180 has been in contact with me about the current status and plans to complete.

Thank you to all of the volunteers that put so much effort into this tedious but necessary process this year. While you may not get the recognition you deserve, you are providing a valuable service.

Please let me, Jessica, or Mat Gerdenich know what we can do to help you finish rechartering by tomorrow night’s turn-in.

Final Recharter Turn-In at Roundtable

Posted on November 3, 2017 Updated on January 22, 2018

At this point, all units should have opened the Internet Rechartering system and reviewed their rosters and verified that all of your existing leadership is trained and new leaders have scheduled their training. At this time, three packs, two troops, and one crew have not started rechartering online. To those units, please do so this weekend.

This Thursday, November 9, 2017 we will have the next Roundtable at 7:00 pm. We will also offer Den Leader Training at the same time.

Next door in Luke’s Lodge, we will be holding the last recharter turn-in. It will open at 6:00 pm and close at 8:30 pm. It will be open house style, so it is first-come, first-serve.

All units are expected to have their Applications to Renew Charter and supporting paperwork turned in by the end of this function. We want to be 100% done. To determine what that means visit the Rechartering Update 2017 page.

Please contact your unit commissioner, district commissioner, or assistant district commissioner for Rechartering Mat Gerdenich if you have any questions or concerns.